American Trucking Association (ATA)

It is well known that higher productivity vehicles and fuel efficiency standards for trucks are gradually reducing the per-vehicle demand for diesel, which is likely to change operations at truckstop and travel plaza locations across the country.

The successes and challenges the trucking industry experiences have a significant effect on the nation’s truckstops and travel plazas, which means staying cur-rent on trucking trends is crucial for businesses that serve drivers. What’s more, successful truckstop and travel plaza operators know that trends often result in new opportunities.

The American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 2.9 percent in January after jumping 2.4 percent in December. Tonnage has surged at least 2.4 percent every month since November, gaining a total of 9.1 percent over that period. Seasonally adjusted data takes into account items such as weather, increased factory production for certain times of the year, harvests and back-to-school sales.

The Virginia General Assembly on Saturday approved landmark transportation legislation, which includes a provision to require legislative approval on tolls on I-95 south of Fredericksburg, a major victory for NATSO, the American Trucking Associations and the grassroots coalition that have been fighting the state's tolling proposal for more than a year. The transportation legislation puts an end to the Virginia Department of Transportation’s plan to toll I-95 and demonstrates growing opposition to tolls on existing interstates.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) asked the federal government to delay implementing changes to the hours-of-service regulations until three months after the group’s current legal challenge ends.

Hundreds of truckstop and travel plaza operators and managers, industry suppliers and innovative experts convened in Savannah, Ga., to discuss the latest industry trends, see new products, and learn new ways to improve their business operations both today and into the future.